PASIFIKA SUPPORTING IHUMATAO PROTECTORS

"Ihumātao, a west-facing peninsula on the shore of Auckland’s Manukau Harbour, is the city’s oldest settlement. In 1863, the land was illegally confiscated from Māori. Sacred hills were quarried, 800-year-old burial sites were demolished, archaeological remains were destroyed, a sewage-treatment plant was built over traditional fishing grounds, and a dye spill killed the local creek. Now Ihumātao has been designated a Special Housing Area, without public consultation, and a development of nearly 500 houses is in progress. But for some tangata whenua, enough is enough." - From "When Worlds Collide". 

Learn more about the history of Ihumatao and click on the link here to understand why there is a fight to protect this land.

Members of our Pasifika community who went down to support/tautoko the Tangata Whenua and their fight to protect Ihumatao share with us why they felt it was important.

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NOMA SIO-FAIUMU & her husband MATT FAIUMU aka ANONYMOUZ 

- Arts Practitioner (Noma)  Producer/Musician (Matt)

"Matt is a Māngere boy through and through. We've been supporting in the background for a while, since being made more aware of SOUL through a project we worked on a few years back: 'My Neighbourhood' Mangere - Otahuhu Community Music Visual EP . 

We've committed significant time and resource to Ihumātao, where we could in support of the efforts of Ihumātao reclaiming their birthright. As Pacific people here in Aotearoa, our shared connections through ancestral bloodlines, even in our present existence here in Aotearoa requires us to recognise our cultural obligations as indigenous people and realise that if we call Aotearoa home, then this is our story and our fight also." - Noma 

The video above was shot & cut by Matt.  Photos from Noma.

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LAUIE TOFA 

 - Actor & Theatre Practitioner 

"We just wanted to show our support. Can't stand bullies. Growing up in Mangere as kiwi born Samoans we still feel a connection to the land and feel obligated to protect it alongside our Maori brothers and sisters. We're not protesters we're PROTECTORS!

And also as pasifika theatre practitioners with the Black Friars we do alot of work with youth so it's important that we show them that some things are worth fighting for!  Power to the people!"

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GABY SOLOMONA 

- Actress

"I rocked up yesterday by myself, I'd never been here and didn't know anyone at first and I was welcomed with nothing but aroha!  It's all Aroha out here and our brothers & sisters, the Mana whenua of #IHUMATAO need our support!!  They need our voices but they also need our presence to be here and stand with them hand in hand!!!  If you can offer any bit of your time please do something meaningful & useful with your life n precious time and come thru!!! It is so beautiful here. 

I feel that Maori have suffered enough at the hands of the NZ government!!!! (If you don't already know this countries history do some research on Parihaka, Bastion point and the NZ land wars to learn a bit more) I'm standing with #IHUMATAO and I'm praying Gods strength, wisdom and protection over His people #NOTONEMOREACRE #ProtectIhumatao #TogetherWeStand"  

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DESTINY MOMOISEA 

- Film & TV Freelancer 

"Well, it’s an indigenous problem!  It’s not just a Maori problem, Mauna Kea isn’t just a Hawai'ian problem, Standing Rock wasn’t just a Native American problem. It’s an indigenous problem!  Who’s to say our little islands won’t be next ? That some big company won’t be trying to run us out of our villages to build big resorts on?  So, until Ihumatao is given back to their Kaitiaki, all indigenous people should care.  Also, it's not that hard to have a heart" 

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VENTRY PARKER aka POETIK

- Hip Hop Artist 

"It’s very important to me to go and represent because this is our ancestors land. I’m Samoan but in my heart I am Maori, Tongan, Hawaiian, I am from Avaiki Nui and Rapa Nui, I AM POLYNESIAN.  And if we don’t stand with our elders today to try and keep safe what we barely have left after 500 years of colonisation, then our grand children will only see what’s left of our culture in a museum.

The white peoples that were on the frontline of the protest were helping us to organise and teaching how to carry ourselves with police in a way that we would not be charged if arrested.  I thought that was very important.

Some of the brown cops looked sad yesterday. I was told a police officer started to shed tears. Just like that Hawaiian cop last week talking to the elders at Mauna Kea.  Imagine what they are feeling as police officers who are doing their jobs." 

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SAPATI APA 

 - Videographer 

"It was important to me to go out and protest at Ihumatao because I live not only on land that was taken but I specifically live near Ihumatao (land that was specifically stolen from mana whenua of Ihumatao). I feel that corporations like Fletchers continue the process of colonisation when they participate in the taking of these lands and the conversion of them into urban scapes. This particular area of land has already been through so much devastation (fishing grounds converted into sewage water, creeks polluted etc.) - that putting 480 homes on this land is just the last straw. 

Being a Pacific Islander, the Dawn Raids and the removal of people from their homes by police in the early mornings is an event which is still very fresh trauma that we have to deal with. To watch as the Police do this to people on their own land, to people who have no home to be deported to, is even more devastating. I tautoko bc the land belongs to the people who look after it and were there first."